In Tacoma, Wash., Tyler and his followers have put back some
prepper supplies, and they have a remote, 15-acre farm, but they plan to become
marauders after a catastrophic terrorist attack and the subsequent imposition
of martial law. They plan to attack other preppers in the area – Tyler is
making a map – to take their stores of food, supplies, weapons and ammunition.
To that end, they are building homemade body armor from bathroom tiles wrapped
in fiberglass and duct tape, and coated
with roofing tar, combined with plates of scrap metal and old metal fence.
Tyler has tested the prototype by strapping it on and having his cousin Chris
shoot him in the stomach with a 12-gauge shotgun.

Tyler also expect the military to take control of hospitals,
where he expects they would arrest and detain an "apex predator" – his words –
like him. So, he's been reading books on medicine and surgery, and laying in
stocks of rudimentary medical supplies. If his catastrophe happens before his
pregnant wife gives birth, he plans to then do a C-section on her in his barn,
which he will sanitize by laying down some plastic sheeting.

Kevin has moved his family from a suburban neighborhood in
Kansas to Costa Rica "to escape America's economic collapse" and the worldwide
impact that will have. He believes Costa Rica offers a more self-reliant, basic
way of life. That appears to be an accurate assessment of the Central American
country, where the electrical grid already fails Kevin regularly, even before
the collapse of the U.S. dollar.

He has about 18 months of supplies stored away, but also has
added chickens, a garden and an aquaponics system for tilapia and vegetables.
He powers that system with solar energy. In addition to supplying high-quality
protein for the family, Kevin plans to use the fish in a local bartering system
after money has no value. He and his family are learning Spanish to become part
of the "us" of the local Spanish-speaking community rather than remaining "a
them" in the event of a catastrophe.

The show's expert assessors noted that both scenarios for
which tonight's preppers were preparing are highly unlikely. They appreciated
the creativity Tyler put into creating his body armor, but really said nothing
about its effectiveness. They also suggested he might want to become part of
the solution in a post-apocalyptic world rather than create new problems.

Kevin, they said, needs to add backup pumps and plumbing
supplies to support and maintain his aquaponics system.

Tyler seems to have a Road Warrior fantasy about the future,
with him as the dominant warrior and leader of the pack. He probably won't
survive more than one or two marauding missions against neighboring preppers.
His armor protects some of his vital organs and much of his head, but leaves
about 60-70 percent of his body open to attack.

The show didn't really give much information about his
would-be gang members, so it's difficult to assess the overall survival rate of
the group after the collapse of society. Their leader has sort of given away
the element of surprise they may have had over the other preppers in their area
that they plan to raid and pillage.

Kevin's choice of a Central American country as his refuge
from a worldwide collapse of society and systems might be questioned given that
some travel websites and some nations have issued warnings to tourists of
serious and violent crime in Costa Rica.

So, what's your vote on tonight's preppers? Survive? Or not
so much? Why?